A recent study is raising questions about whether the revolutionary gene editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 is ready for human tests. The study, published last week in Nature Methods, found the technology can cause hundreds of unintended, off-target mutations throughout the entire genome.

The results come as China completes a second round of CRISPR clinical trials on humans. The United States is scheduled to begin human trials next year.

Some are taking the study seriously: Stocks for CRISPR-based biotech firms dropped by up to 15 percent last week following the release of the study. But others say the evidence is flawed and researchers already knew about the possible risk of mutations.

For the study, scientists examined mice previously treated for blindness using CRISPR technology. They found the technique successfully corrected the blindness gene, but two of the mice had more than 1,500 unintended gene mutations, meaning the researchers had altered genes they never intended to change.

Although the mice didn’t show any problems, off-target mutations can be serious. For example, an unintended mutation can disable a gene that suppresses tumors or can activate one that causes cancer. Some mutations can also be inherited by future generations.

Scientists know off-target mutations are a risk of CRISPR, so they look for mutations in areas that computer algorithms identify as most likely to be affected. But, in the current study, computer algorithms did not predict any of the off-target DNA mutations, and the researchers found them only when they searched the entire genome.

Computer algorithms do a good job predicting off-target mutations when scientists use CRISPR on cells or tissues in a lab dish, Alexander Bassuk, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Iowa, said in a statement. But in living animals, it appears they are not sufficient.

“Researchers who aren’t using whole genome sequencing to find off-target effects may be missing potentially important mutations,” said Stephen Tsang, a professor of ophthalmology at Columbia University Medical Center.

CRISPR technology has recently soared in popularity because it is relatively inexpensive, quick, and simple to use. It is more precise than former methods of gene editing and has potential application in treating a wide variety of medical conditions.

“We’re still upbeat about CRISPR,” said Vinit Mahajan, professor of ophthalmology at Stanford University. “We’re physicians, and we know that every new therapy has some potential side effects—but we need to be aware of what they are.”

Ladybug ©iStockPhoto.com/PaulGrecaud

Ladybug wings a marvel of engineering, design

A team of Japanese researchers has solved a puzzle surrounding ladybug wings that has stymied scientific engineers for years.

Until now, researchers have been unable to observe the wing-folding process of the ladybug. The versatile little insect can unfold its wings in one-tenth of a second and take flight for up to two hours, reaching speeds of 37 miles per hour and achieving heights over 3,500 feet. But due to hardened forewings, called elytra, that close first and hide the process, scientists have, until now, been unable to see how their wings can be sturdy and rigid enough for such feats and yet can have the elasticity and flexibility to easily fold and tuck as they transition from flying to walking.

For this study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team of researchers from the University of Tokyo developed a way to remove the forewing and transplant a functional, transparent, artificial elytron that allowed them to observe the entire process. They were astounded to find that ladybugs fold their wings into a complex origami-type shape.

The researchers wrote that the “innovative designing method” could be useful for everything from satellite antennae and medical instruments to umbrellas and fans. “The ladybugs’ technique for achieving complex folding is quite fascinating and novel, particularly for researchers in the fields of robotics, mechanics, aerospace and mechanical engineering,” said Kazuya Saito, the lead researcher.

Yet, no surprise, the secular researchers said they did not see evidence of intelligent design in the ladybug wings, but called them a “naturally evolved optimization system.” —J.B.

Knowing about and accepting are two different things

Just because students understand evolution does not mean they accept it, according to a recent study published in PLOS Biology.

U.K. researchers wanted to see if students who took classes in genetics prior to classes in evolution would understand and accept evolution better.

They divided 1,227 secondary students into two groups. One group studied genetics first, and the other studied evolution first. Just as the researchers suspected, students who first took classes in genetics grasped the theory of evolution more easily. But, to their surprise, knowledge did not translate into acceptance.

Of course, the researchers did not credit students’ hesitations about evolution to holes in the theory, but rather expressed concerns that “creationism has been taught in U.K. schools and that religious-motivated groups have attempted to influence science lessons,” they wrote.

The researchers said they found numerous examples of students who were nervous about learning evolution because of their religious beliefs. Their solution: employ an “evolution by stealth” strategy and camouflage evolution by calling it “population genetics” instead. —J.B.

Going where no space probe has gone before

NASA plans to launch a probe later this summer that will fly closer to the sun’s surface than any spacecraft so far.

The Parker Space Probe will make seven fly-bys in seven years using the gravity of Venus to gradually bring its orbit closer to the sun. It will eventually fly into the corona, the outmost layer of the sun’s atmosphere. At its closest approach, the probe will soar around the sun at nearly 430,000 mph, fast enough to travel from Philadelphia to Washington D.C. in one second, and will endure temperatures near 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

NASA hopes information gained by the probe will help to forecast changes in the space environment that affect life and technology on Earth. —J.B.